Rangers: Offensive in Crisis? 5 Numbers Reveal the Champion’s Decline

The Texas Rangers and Their Offense: An Unexpected Decline

Less than two years ago, the Texas Rangers conquered the World Series championship thanks to a devastating offense. However, since then, and despite improvements on paper, the team has presented one of the worst offenses in the league, a reality that worries the team’s managers. The situation in 2025 has only intensified the frustration. The Rangers have a Jacob deGrom in excellent form, but their offensive performance does not match that of the rest of the team. Despite having a solid rotation and a renewed bullpen, the team is only one game above .500.

“I’m not going to get here and do ‘abracadabra’,” said Bret Boone, the team’s new batting coach. “Hitting is really difficult. The thing is, as much as you prepare, when you get to the box, it’s just you and the pitcher.”

Bret Boone, batting coach

Boone seeks to encourage and simplify the game. His main message to the players is to “see the game”, study opposing pitchers, and create a game plan. He has also emphasized the importance of constant interaction between players. The Rangers’ president of baseball operations, Chris Young, might be forced to make important decisions if the situation doesn’t improve. Although he prefers to add players, the task of strengthening the lineup from outside seems complicated due to the existing talent on the team. The team boasts high-level players, such as Corey Seager and Marcus Semien in the infield, Evan Carter, Wyatt Langford, and Adolis García in the outfield, and Joc Pederson as the designated hitter. Any offensive improvement will likely come from within, and signs of it have recently been seen.

Below, we analyze five key numbers that illustrate the Rangers’ offensive decline:

1. Semien and Seager Combined OPS (June 22): .671

The arrival of Semien and Seager to the team was key to the team’s success in 2023. However, for much of this year, their performance has not been as expected. Until June 22, their combined batting line was .229/.312/.359, with a combined OPS of .671, well below the league average.

Although Semien and Seager have shown recent improvement, the situation has been worrying. Semien and Seager, from June 23rd to July 13th, batted .313/.418/.592, indicating a possible recovery.

“We all want to be in shape at the same time,” Semien said. “It will never happen like that, but if Corey and I are good, this team takes off.”

Marcus Semien

2. Texas’s batting line against fastballs: .236/.312/.372

The Rangers stood out for their ability to hit fastballs in 2023. However, this season, their performance has been much worse. The batting line against four-seam fastballs is .236/.312/.372, with an OPS of .684, ranking 27th in the league. Several players, such as Burger, Heim, Pederson, and García, have shown weaknesses against this type of pitch. The coaches have emphasized improving the players’ ability to hit fastballs. The Rangers have been “stuck in the middle”, arriving late to the speed and off balance against spin.

3. Rangers’ Runners in Scoring Position Chase Rate: 32.2%

The ability to hit in situations with runners in scoring position has been a problem. The Rangers’ chase rate in these situations is 32.2%, one of the worst in the league. Their strikeout percentage, 23.7%, is also high. This has resulted in big ups and downs for the team, with games of many runs and others in which they don’t score any.

4. Carter and Jung’s wOBA Ranking since 2023: 205 and 264

Since the start of the 2024 season, Carter and Jung have performed below expectations. Carter ranked 205th with a wOBA of .308, while Jung, with .295, ranked 264th. Jung, who promised a lot, was sent to Triple-A due to his poor performance. A Rangers source described him as “defeated” and “lost”.

5. Rangers’ wRC+ since 2023: 94

The wRC+ (runs created plus) is a key indicator of offensive value. The league average is 100, and the Rangers have been below that average. In the 2023 regular season, their wRC+ was 117, but from the start of the 2024 season to the All-Star break, their wRC+ was 94. Five key players from the 2023 team have seen their OPS decrease by more than 100 points. The lack of collective performance from these players has significantly affected the team. For Chris Young, the problem lies in the lack of balance and the collective mentality that characterized the 2023 offense. Although the team still has talent, many players have underperformed, which has affected the overall performance.